healthy eating is great. it makes you feel good. it helps your body and mind work better. it’s usually good for the planet. it’s tasty, when you do it well.

but. there had to be a but, didn’t there? it’s easy to get a little obsessed. to be so careful about what you can eat that you don’t let yourself have fun. to plan your activities around finding healthy food– and make your loved ones crazy in the process. to restrict your food to the point where you just can’t have fun. there’s even a word for it when it gets to a pathological level– “orthorexia.” (This blogger has written about her struggles with orthorexia. . . and IMHO, she is still struggling).

i started out thinking i would write a post about how to eat well doing summer things like having a fourth of july bbq or going to a baseball game, but you know what? sometimes the answer is to eat the thing you want. sometimes it’s ok to say “screw it” eat something because it’s fun and/or tasty and/or part of an experience you love. it’s not a cheat meal, it’s flexibility. it’s balance. it’s living.i generally eat on the principle of eating mostly whole foods, vegan when i can, and vegetarian pretty much always. but did I have a few beers, some curry-flavored potato chips, and a beast burger on the 4th? Yep! Did I have a diet pepsi and a quesadilla at the ball park on Sunday? Sure did. Am I sorry? NEVER. i chose to eat things that made me happy. i went back to smoothies and whole-grain salads on monday, and NOTHING BAD HAPPENED. so what’s the moral of the story? eat well most of the time. eat what you want when you’re doing something special. don’t beat yourself up. don’t make it harder than it has to be. and remember, being happy is part of being healthy. salud!